


Taro's inner story

by Rein_Deilerd



Category: Dr. Slump
Genre: "Fantastic Voyage" Plot, Action/Adventure, Alternative Anatomy, Cartoon Anatomy, F/M, Vore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25173538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rein_Deilerd/pseuds/Rein_Deilerd
Summary: A peaceful morning in Penguin Village turns into a race against time after an unfortunate chain of events puts Taro's life in danger. Thankfully, his friends are willing to use any means necessary to save him - but how far are they willing to travel into the majestic yet horrifying abyss that is a human body?
Relationships: Soramame Taro/Tsun Tsururin
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This here is a huge experiment, and I genuinely have no idea what I'm doing. A cartoonish anatomy study? An epic about traversing the terra incognita of somebody's inner workings? A silly little tale of unfortunate accidents and questionable decisions piling up until everyone involved gets absolutely done with the situation? Or maybe I just wanted to write something funny and incredibly gross at the same time. Anyway, I apologize to everyone who happened to scroll through this fic while eating. No refunds, though.  
> Huge thanks to the Dr. Slump discord served for inspiring me and making this little thing happen.

“Now you’ve done it, Peasuke.”

The boy gulped nervously, throwing a quick glance at Akane standing beside him, her expression more judging than Ms. Norimaki’s after a spectacularly failed test – but then his eyes darted back to the familiar figure growing gradually smaller in the distance, and he could feel his insides tying into a knot of nerves and guilt. For a split second, he wanted to call out to his brother, like he always did when things did not seem to go his way – but this was not the right time, for Taro was not within the earshot of the group anymore, and, let’s be honest, Peasuke had no damn idea how to explain the situation to him without it sounding either too bad or too stupid. That’s true, now he’s done it. Well, not just him. He was about 50% responsible for the highly improbable yet still highly serious situation they were having at hand, not that math was ever his strong suit. Hell, the last person he needed right now was a mathematician. A bomb disposal technician would be much more helpful. Or a gastroenterologist. Or both.

It all started innocuously enough – with Senbei spending the last 12 hours building a miniature time bomb of unparalleled explosive prowess. What did he need it for? Probably some questionable shenanigans, as usual. A shiny silver ball, only slightly larger than a pea, with tiniest flashing indicators you would ever see signifying if it’s activated or not. The time it takes for the bomb to explode and bring a middle-sized house with it is about two hours. The time it takes for Arale to snatch the thing up the second Senbei leaves his lab to get some well-deserved rest and bring it to her friends for an impromptu show and tell? Less than a minute, with her speed and all. And that’s how, a few moments later, yet another peaceful morning turned into a race against time which cost almost everyone involved their dignity. Welcome to Penguin village.

“A real time bomb, huh? Looks more like ball from a ball bearing, you sure that’s not it?” – Akane asked sarcastically while holding the miniature invention in front of her wide-open right eye.

“Arale wouldn’t lie about such things! If she says it’s a time bomb, it’s a time bomb,” – Obotchaman retorted, seemingly more concerned about the fact that Arale was being doubted than the presence of a bomb in the hands of Akane, of all people. Out of the four teenagers gathered in the Coffee Pot’s comfortingly cool shadow during a fairly hot morning, the only person who seemed to be taking the bomb situation seriously was Peasuke: while he was kind of curious about the invention shimmering in his cousin’s hand, the rationally cautious part of him wanted nothing to do with it, ever, and was nearly praying for Arale (or anyone) to take it out of Akane’s hands before anything happens. 

Heavens decided to be particularly cruel to him that day, it seems: while Akane did return the small silvery ball to Arale, still unconvinced it was even functional, the very next thing the robot girl did was pushing it into Peasuke’s palm, no questions asked.

“Here, take a look, Peasuke! It’s super-cul!”

The boy began fidgeting with the tiny object, trying his best not to drop it, his fingers grazing the sleek surface and, apparently, pressing a hidden button or a switch in the process – the indicators around the bomb’s diameter suddenly came to life, flashing in red and blue, not unlike a police car’s lights would. Peasuke looked at Arale with a confused expression, still clasping the bomb in his right arm. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hoyoyo! You activated it, Peasuke!” – the girl exclaimed, - “It’s gonna go boom now!”

These were the words Peasuke did not want to hear – his heartrate skyrocketing and head clouding with fear, he threw the tiny silver ball as far as he could, his baseball training coming in handy for once in his life. He didn’t particularly aim it anywhere (if only as far away from himself and the others as possible), so the ball flying straight through Coffee Pot’s open window was purely accidental, he could swear on it if necessary. A hit on the head by Akane which followed shortly afterwards, however, was not.

“Not now-now, dummy! Two hours, remember?! Now we’ll have to search the café all over for it, thanks a lot, Peasuke!” – Akane grumbled, sticking both of her hands into her pockets and turning in the direction of Coffee Pot’s entrance. Arale looked unfazed by the event, excited even; Obotchaman, on the other hand, appeared to be quite distraught, being the first one to race to the café’s door.

“I hope we find it before it explodes,” – the robot boy muttered to himself while attempting to grab the door handle, only to have the door open right into his face, almost hitting him. The person standing in the doorway was no other than Soramame Taro, his trademark sunglasses reflecting the morning sun and the look of alarm on Obotchaman’s face. The young man smiled his friendliest smile, looking all over the group of his younger friends. He seemed to be in a splendid mood today.

“Hey, how’s it going?” – he asked, still smiling, while making his way past the group, their tense expression not bothering him in the slightest. At first, Peasuke was quite surprised to see his brother at a cafe, he could have sworn Taro had left for work early this morning – but then he noticed that Taro was wearing his best clothes, and it clicked. He did mention going on a picnic date with Tsururin next time he had a day off, but Peasuke, frankly speaking, did not keep track of his brother’s work schedule and wasn’t particularly interested in his dating life, so he never asked any further questions. 

“F-Fine, big bro! Everything’s going just fine! We were just going to have something to drink, that’s all,” – Peasuke answered for everyone, hoping for his pals to stay quiet. He briefly considered the idea of asking Taro for help in finding their lost little time bomb, but the young policeman looked way too happy and lost in his own visions of near future to truly pay any attention, and making him late for his date wasn’t in Peasuke’s plans – his big brother could be terrifying when angered properly.

As Taro was making way to his scooter, the gang ran into Coffee Pot with a single goal on their mind. The first logical step would be to ask Aoi for help – if anyone knew all the nooks and crannies a tiny ball could have fallen into, it was her. Aoi was present at the counter, indeed – however, instead of doing any of her usual activities, she seemed to be preoccupied with expecting the inside of a tiny white coffee cup. 

“Hey, sis,” – Akane called out, hands still in her pockets, - “What are you doin’ there?”

“Oh,” – Aoi turned her head to the entrance and smiled a tiny smile, clearly concerned about something, - “It’s going to sound really weird, but… No, it’s probably nothing.”

“What is It?” – the teens were now on the opposite side of the counter, peering into an empty cup Aoi was holding. It was stained with coffee on the inside, but, aside from that, held nothing of interest.

“Well… I could have sworn just now that something fell into Taro’s coffee cup when he turned to speak to me. I wanted to warn him, but he finished his cup in a hurry, and it’s completely empty now,” – Aoi turned the cup upside down, as if to prove her own words, - “He must have drunk it with the coffee, whatever it was. Probably a fly or something… Nothing to worry about, right? I’m just being weird here, it’s the hot weather getting to me. I mean, for a second, that thing looked like a police light to me, all red and blue and stuff. I need a vacation,” – Aoi’s smile grew more relaxed, - “Did you guys want to order something?”

“N-No… We’re good…” – Akane uttered, her face growing more and more jittery, eyes widening in fear. Arale let out a long “hoyoyo”, while Obotchaman looked like he was about to faint. Peasuke could feel ground becoming less and less steady underneath his feet as the reality of the situation dawned upon him. He ran outside as fast as his shivering legs could allow, only to see Taro’s back disappearing on the road ahead, with the sound of his scooter’s engine growing weaker and weaker, before ceasing completely. Almost on the verge of tears, he could hear Akane’s footsteps behind him, but paid them no mind until her voice brought him back to reality.

“Now you’ve done it, Peasuke.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the story goes on, our heroes have to think of a plan to save the village's beloved bad boy. What kind of plan?  
> ...A really bad one, let's be honest here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting closer to the interesting/gross/creepy stuff, I promise!

“This… This is horrible!” – Peasuke’s voice was nearly cracking, - “This can’t be happening, it just can’t…”

“Yet here we are,” – Akane seemed to be holding herself together well enough, but the pallor of her face and slight shaking in her voice gave away her true emotions, - “I mean, we could search the café over, just in case, but I think it’s pretty obvious what must have happened. Aoi is not the one to just imagine things, and the trajectory seems believable… Why can’t you pitch like that during a ball game, Peasuke? We would be champions in no time.”

Peasuke groaned and shot Akane an angry look, but didn’t have time to retaliate – Obotchaman, usually way too polite to interrupt someone, was clearly nearing his limit, his fists clenched and body shaking slightly.

“We should do something!” – he finally shouted, startling the other teens, - “Taro needs to go to the hospital, there they can get his stomach pumped… Or, we can call Professor Norimaki, he will know what to do, maybe there is a way to stop the countdown without touching the bomb… Or maybe…” – the robot boy kept muttering while pacing from side to side, too wound up to stay still.

“Or, we could just tell him to stick two fingers down his throat and be done with this,” – Akane uttered, the boy’s constant pacing getting onto her nerves, - “Preferably behind some bushes, so we won’t have to witness it. Anyway, someone should get Taro. Arale, you up to the task?”

“Hoy!” – the robot girl cheerfully exclaimed and was about to kiiiin-sprint down the road, when Peasuke suddenly grabbed her by the sleeve. 

“Wait!” – the boy was nearly screaming, his tone more frantic than ever, - “What if he doesn’t believe us? What if he thinks it’s a prank? I mean, the situation is convoluted as is, and we are… Not the bunch he’d be inclined to trust, not after all of your pranks, Akane. Convincing him to throw up, with Tsururin nearby and all, could take an entire day, and we only have two hours until… Until…”

“Until Taro explodes, and takes God knows how many other people with him. Where was he heading, anyway? Why did you mention Tsururin?” – Akane asked, her curiosity suddenly peaked. Unlike her younger cousin, she found other people’s personal business to be a quite interesting topic.

“They are having a picnic date today… In our usual picnic spot, most probably. Oh, God…” – Peasuke’s pupils grew even wider, - “Tsururin is in danger now, too! We have to think of something, quick! If only there was a way to get to the bomb without Taro knowing…”

Arale suddenly smiled and turned to face the others, nearly sending Peasuke, who was still holding onto her sleeve, flying into the Coffee Pot’s open window.

“There is! Wait here!” – the girl turned around once again and took off in the general direction of her house, sending small clouds of dust and dirt into the air. The gang, now one person short, followed her with bewildered gazes.

It didn’t even take a minute for Arale to sprint back – and she did not return empty-handed. The girl, not even slightly tired or sweaty from her long run, was holding a familiar hair dryer-like device, its metal sides shining in the morning sun.

“Is this… the Big-Small Gun?” – Akane asked, taking the device out of Arale’s outstretched hands, - “What are we supposed to do with that?”

“Remember that one time when Ms. Midori was in the hospital, because there was a mosquito in her belly? Well, me, the professor and Gatchan became ant-sized and went inside Ms. Midori to fight the bad guy, and we won! Maybe we can do this again? It was fun the last time, we saw a uvula and all!”

“Arale, you are a genius!” – Obotchaman exclaimed, tears of happiness and relief welling up in his eyes, - “We can go inside Taro’s body and deactivate the bomb, and we won’t have to intrude on his date while doing so! This is the best plan ever!”

“That’s definitely an interesting idea…” – Akane muttered, still not fully convinced. She fidgeted with the device in her arms, contemplating their next step. The group held their breaths (the ones who could breath, anyway) – Akane was suddenly their leader, and no one really questioned that.

“Okay,” – she said finally, looking over the device one last time, - “Since we don’t have a better plan, and the time is running out, we are doing this. Let’s go find Taro and Tsururin first, though – no use shrinking down before we do. There is a time limit, right?”

“Yep! One hour!” – Arale’s smile was still as wide as usual.

“We’ll have to act fast, then. Okay, let’s get going, and hope to God we find them quick,” – Akane mimicked putting the Big-Small Gun behind her shoulder like a character in a Sci-Fi flick would do with their laser gun. Now that they had a semi-solid plan, her confidence seemed to be back, and so was her thrill for an upcoming adventure. Peasuke let out a deep sigh and straightened his kitty hat, trying to steady his hands in the process – Akane’s confidence did not rub off on him in the slightest.

“Please, let this whole mess be over soon…”

Sometimes, a single detail can make or break your plan. In the current situation, there were tons of things that could go wrong at any given moment, and Peasuke’s mind kept jumping from one imaginary disaster to another while he was trying his best to keep up with Akane – Obotchaman and Arale have long since gotten ahead of them and were probably already at the hilltop the gang usually had their picnics at. “What if Taro’s not there?” – Peasuke thought, his throat drying up from fear, - “What if we have to search the entire village for him? What if we don’t find him in time? What if…”

“Oh, look, here they are,” – Akane stopped in her tracks all of a sudden, almost forcing Peasuke to run into her full-speed. The girl’s outstretched hand pointed to two familiar backs crouching in front of some particularly tall bushes – and both Akane and Peasuke could easily guess what (or who) was on the other side. Trying not to make too much noise, the two cousins made their way towards Arale and Obotchaman in ninja-like tippy-toe steps, then slid beside them, faces obscured by the bushes. Arale turned her head towards them, smiling confidently.

“N’cha!” – the robot girl happily exclaimed, forcing Akane to hurriedly slap a hand over her mouth.

“Quiet, or they’ll hear us, you scatterbrain!”

“Taro and Tsururin are both here, and I don’t think they have noticed us… Or anything besides each other, for that matter,” – Obotchaman whispered, his cheeks red as an inside of a watermelon, - “I cannot believe we are spying on them during a date… This doesn’t feel right at all…”

“We’ve got no choice, buddy. Thank Peasuke here,” – Akane whispered back, forcing Peasuke to groan at her once again. Still, the group had successfully located their target – Taro, wearing his classiest black shirt and the most formal-looking pair of pants he ever owned, was sitting next to Tsururin on a piece of fabric she must have brought from home, clearly enjoying himself much more than his friends did at the moment. They were in luck, however – his gaze fixed upon the girl next to him, Taro was paying zero attention to what he was eating. It was now or never.

“All right, we are doing this, guys. Once I shrink us down, we sprint towards his soda cup and jump in. It would be safer for us to do it through a drink, wouldn’t want him to chew on us or something,” – Akane took a deep breath, - “I’m warning you, though. Things might get messy, or gross, or we might see things we will never be able to unsee. If anyone wants to back out, here’s your chance.”

“No way!” – Peasuke shot his head up, a look of uncharacteristic confidence on his face, - “I don’t want my brother to die! I’m gonna do my best to save him, even if it’s gross or whatever.”

“Agreed,” – Obotchaman spoke, - “We are doing this for Taro, just like he would for any of us. His and Tsururin’s lives depend on us, we cannot back off now, right, Arale?”

“I want to see stomach bugs! I only saw a mosquito the last time, but there are more, right?” – Arale was not quitting now, that was for sure, - “Let’s go already!”

“That’s what I like to hear,” – Akane smirked and pointed the Big-Small Gun towards her friends, their faces shining with resolve, - “Three, two, one…”

“Wait,” – Obotchaman interrupted her, his face still crimson with shame, - “I have a question!”

“Yeah?” – Akane pointed the gun to the ground, clearly disappointed about her moment being ruined.

“How… Um… How are we going to get out?”

Everyone stopped in their tracks, as if struck by lightning. Finally, Peasuke spoke up, his voice much less confident than before:

“We, um… We will figure it out as we go! Right now, the important part is deactivating the bomb before it kills my big brother,” – Peasuke glanced at his friends again and tried his best to smile confidently, like a hero in a cool action movie would, - “Zap away, Akane!”

“As you wish,” – the girl clasped the handle of the gun even tighter, her hand surprisingly steady for someone who had no idea what she was even doing, - “Three, two, one… Shrink!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their plan set in motion, our heroes take a deep dive into the unknown territory... What kinds of horrors could befall them next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, here's the stuff of nightmare's you've been waiting for! Welcome to the flesh jungle.

The world around Peasuke suddenly grew much larger, to the point of the blades of grass resembling trees more than anything – but he was ready for that, more or less, having seen the device in action before. He was suddenly reminded of the day him and Hyoko became a couple – the way he saved her by punching a beetle away from the temporarily ant-sized girl. He could be a hero if needed, that Peasuke – and today he will prove it once again. So what if his legs are shaking and his head is spinning like a merry-go-round? He has a job to do, and he will do it, shrunk down or not. These were the thoughts that run through Peasuke’s head as his legs took him closer to the oblivious couple enjoying their summer picnic – both now resembling living, breathing mountains more than people. Arale and Obotchaman were first to the goal, as usual – however, Taro just so happened to be refilling his plastic cup at the moment, so they could only stand in the tall grass near the edge of the picnic blanket and wait for their human friends to catch up to them. Peasuke could barely feel the ground beneath his feet – if there were rocks small enough for him to trip on, he definitely would. Thankfully, he made it to Akane’s side without falling – and the girl smiled at him reassuringly, further lifting his spirits. Now they only had to wait for their chance; Peasuke tilted his head upwards and watched as Taro took as small sip from his cup, then put it down on the blanket to grab a riceball from a wooden tray in front of him. A huge drop of orange-flavored soda dribbled down the edge of the cup, almost hitting Arale on the head – the girl jumped away in an instant, then poked the drop with her finger.

“It’s fizzy!” – she commented to her friends, who weren’t particularly concerned with said discovery. It was time.

“He is not looking, that’s great. Arale, you help me climb in there. Obotchaman, you help Peasuke. Try not to drown, that would be really dumb,” – Akane ordered, trying to hide her nervousness. The robot teens nodded in unison, Obotchaman gently grabbing onto Peasuke’s shoulders. “We should have brought the Gatchans with us,” – Peasuke thought as he felt his feet disconnect from the ground. The sensation of flying took his breath away for a moment – then he felt his entire body submerge in a cold liquid, and the world around him turned bright orange. His first instinct was to splash around and flail his arms, hoping to stay afloat – but then someone grabbed onto his shirt’s collar and pulled him upwards, letting him experience the wonders of oxygen once again.

“Are you all right, Peasuke?” – Obotchaman asked, trying to return his now crooked glasses back into their rightful place. Peasuke nodded, holding onto the white plastic side of the cup with both hands. Arale was happily floating nearby, soaked in soda from head to toe, while Akane struggled to get the sticky sugary water out of her hair. Everything was going according to plan for the time being.

“Look,” – Akane pointed upwards with her free hand, - “I think he is about to take another sip. Now we just need to stay calm, and as far away from his teeth as possible, got it?”  


Peasuke nodded, too skittish to look where she was pointing. There was no need to, however – he soon felt the cup rise, and the sound of Taro and Tsururin’s laughter grew closer. A part of him begged him to close his eyes and curl up into a ball, or, even better, jump down to safety – but Peasuke was determined to go against every instinct left in his body for his brother’s sake, and forced his eyes to stay wide open as Taro’s face came into view – and if it wasn’t for the now gargantuan sunglasses, Peasuke would have never recognized his brother from such a different perspective. “Is this how we look like to ants? Poor things…” – Peasuke thought as his brother’s mouth opened, the cup’s edge touching his lower lip. Holding onto the cup was no use anymore – a strong current of liquid grabbed Peasuke and sent him sliding down, closer and closer to the black abyss which opened below him. Arale jumped onto the tongue first, almost giggling with excitement, as if she was going down a water slide; Akane and Obotchaman followed her soon afterwards, all stopping near the entrance into Taro’s throat, half-submerged in soda. The air around Peasuke grew hot in an instant; he nearly screamed as the flow took him past the off-white boulders of his brother’s teeth, which clenched back together as soon as Peasuke had landed onto the tongue, leaving the group in almost complete darkness. As Peasuke’s eyes adjusted to it, he could hear his friends shifting around, trying to find each other.

“Look, Akane! It’s the uvula!” – Arale’s voice echoed through the darkness, startling Peasuke for a moment; he rose to his feet and tried to feel his way around, only to fall back down almost instantly – the floor underneath him was shaking as Taro slushed the liquid around in his mouth, enjoying the fizziness. A loud “hoyoyo” could be heard as Arale slid past Peasuke on her back, her glasses nearly falling off – while Akane remained the only one still standing, keeping her balance through some sort of miracle. The miracle did not last long, however; Taro was done enjoying the taste of his drink, and soon the ground beneath the group distorted as the young man’s muscles shot the liquid forward into his throat, along with his hapless friends. Peasuke watched in horror as Akane’s back disappeared into the darkness of the pharynx, soon followed by Obotchaman and (still way too optimistic) Arale – it was his turn now, and the boy braced himself for the fall.

In a way, it was similar to a water slide – a very tight, wet, soft water slide which closed around him in an almost suffocating way, but then opened up again, letting him breathe. The air smelled like orange soda, cigarette smoke and something else, something very bodily and gross - a combination which almost made Peasuke gag. The fall down the esophagus was rather fast – one moment Peasuke was sliding down a squishy surface, next he had hit the ground – or whatever that was. The boy got on his knees, then onto his feet, trying not to breath in too deep – the smell has gotten way worse. It was still too dark to see, but he could feel his legs submerged in something warm almost to his knees, and he could hear rustling nearby, along with low growling noises all around him and a steady monotone beating somewhere above.

“This sound… Is this Taro’s heart?” – Obotchaman asked, his voice sounding from behind Peasuke. The boy turned around to face his friend, and could barely make out a shape of his white shirt in the darkness around them.

“I guess. Man, is it humid in here,” – Akane answered from somewhere to the left of the boys, her voice more annoyed than anything, - “And the smell, oh God… Once we are out, I’m taking a bath for a week.”

Peasuke felt his throat clench, making him unable to utter a single word. The situation was just too surreal to fathom. “I’m inside Taro…” – he thought, his head starting to spin, - “My own brother ate me. How am I going to look at him ever again? What will mom and dad say if they find out? What will Taro think…” His train of thoughts was stopped as the ground beneath him convulsed once again – this time it was not strong enough to make him fall, but he still flailed his arms around, hoping to grab onto something. To his surprise, his hands met a wet slippery surface, and he clung onto it to avoid falling into whatever liquid has pulled around his legs.

“The walls here are pretty bouncy!” – came a voice from somewhere further in the darkness, - “You can hit them all you like, but they bounce back. Like a trampoline, but vertical and very soft!”

“Arale, don’t you dare hitting them again,” – Akane grumbled, - “We did not come here to punch holes in Taro’s stomach. Does anyone have a lighter or something? I can’t see a thing, and the bomb must be in here somewhere.”

“I think I have a pocket flashlight on me,” – Obotchaman answered, - “Please, wait for a moment, I’m taking it out now.”

Peasuke could still hear the robot boy rummaging through his pockets when a light suddenly shone bright, rendering his surroundings finally visible. Arale let out a satisfied laugh.

“The professor asked me to buy him a new lighter earlier today, but I didn’t have a chance to give it to him yet… Wow, look at all that! It’s like we are on another planet! Cul!”  


Peasuke looked around, the lighter’s flame illuminating his friends’ shocked expressions – then he finally saw the rest of his surroundings, and couldn’t keep a horrified gasp from leaving his lips. The walls were alive – that one was kind of obvious, and Peasuke would be more concerned if they weren’t, but he imagined them differently beforehand. He never really tried to picture how a stomach must look like from the inside before, but if he had to guess, he’d say it was like a slick, pink plastic bag, with slight creases here and there, half-filled with gorge and gastric juices. What was surrounding him now, however, was far from slick – the walls of his brother’s stomach looked more like one would picture intestines, filled with creases and nooks, with slimy saliva-like liquid covering them. The gorge was plastered everywhere – remains of what used to be rice, fish and nori were sticking to the walls, with disgustingly warm bubbling soda pooling at the group’s feet. It was a sickening sight, and the smell only made things worse – Akane was covering her mouth with her free hand, while Peasuke himself was barely holding back vomit. Both Obotchaman and Arale remained unfazed, however – Obotchaman still looking for his flashlight, while Arale was walking around the stomach, bringing the light into the darker creases and corners. The place turned out to be surprisingly large.

“Hey, here it is! I found the bomb!” – Arale called out to her friends from somewhere deep within the fleshy maze, making Peasuke breathe a sigh of relief – a certain part of him was actually worried that they have been wrong about Taro swallowing the bomb in the first place, making their trip down the esophagus all for nothing. The lighter’s flame grew closer, and the robot girl showed up soon enough, carrying a small beach-ball sized bomb with one arm – only to slip on the mucus-clad surface of the stomach and let go of it, along with the lighter. The light flickered across the gang’s faces, sending unnatural shadows running over them as it hit the stomach’s squishy wall, burning it in the process. The walls promptly reacted by convulsing in a series of spasms, sending the group flying – Peasuke could not even locate his friends anymore, much less the bomb Arale was previously carrying. To add insult to injury, the light died around them, leaving them in complete darkness once again – even more lost than they previously were. 

“Things couldn’t get much worse…” – Peasuke whimpered as he felt himself falling face first into something squishy and warm, his friends’ screams echoing around him.  


“Don’t go around tempting fate, Peasuke,” – Akane grunted, having landed right beside him, - “Trust me, things can always get worse.”

Trying and failing to regain her footing, the girl looked up, suddenly freezing mid-movement.

“And these “worse things” seem to be heading right towards us!”


End file.
